Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced Sunday that she tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing symptoms. Per a press announcement from her office that she also posted on Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez is recovering at home. She has gotten fully vaccinated and boosted and urged people to do the same.
The announcement comes after a Florida vacation she took took with her boyfriend where both were pictured hanging out maskless outside — which, for the record, abides by the CDC’s safety recommendations. Conservatives, claiming she came to Florida to take advantage of the fact that it has no statewide mask mandate, were incensed to hear she was “partying maskless” at a (again, outdoors) drag bar. While it’s not clear she contracted the virus in Florida, which broke its state record for daily COVID-19 cases two weeks ago, conservatives have of course already pounced on the fact that she tested positive.
Washington, D.C., is experiencing an unprecedented jump in cases with some representatives, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, still refusing to get vaccinated or wear masks on the House floor. Congress has reimplemented measures it put in place at the height of the pandemic like limiting the number of votes taken on the floor to help curb the spread, and Ocasio-Cortez is expected to follow quarantine protocols until she’s cleared to return in person.